Uninstall FlexNet Software Updates Manager

How to remove the FLEXnet Licensing Service created by InstallShield to add convenience for a program to check for its updates and manage licences. It is being installed by many programs such as Photoshop however the program’s developers haven't use it the way it was intended for. This has been a long-time annoyance as it is useless anyway.

The FLEXnet Licensing Service was intended for use in high end "pro" products such as Photoshop and AutoCAD and acts as a replacement for a dongle. Quite why it comes bundled with free software like Acrobat Reader is a mystery. It also provides a means of delivering software updates to end users, however software manufacturers rarely use this feature and instead integrate their own live update services.

The uninstall of the Software Updates Manager is easy since Installshield provide an uninstall tool which you can download on their website (direct link). All you need to do in install the uninstaller (???) and it will be removed from your system.

As for Uninstall FLEXnet Licensing Service (FNPLicensingService.exe), this is trickier to remove. You can stop it from running in Task Manager using the kill process button, but it will soon come back when you restart the computer. You can also disable the service but it will be re-enabled on next reboot. The trick is to disable "Acrobat Assistant" from running which re-enables the service.

You need to use regedit to remove a startup entry. You can either manually navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" and remove the Acrobat assistant key, or you can copy the text below and paste it into a file called removeflexnet.reg. You can then merge the file into the registry by running it.

You can also use one of the many autorun managers available to disable Acrobat assistant. I personally recommend SysInternals Autoruns which shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them.

Once you follow these instructions, the FLEXnet Licensing Service should no longer be bothering you.

FlexNet uses excessive amounts of CPU time, and it pops up all the time. But most of all, if is deceptive, it is not listed in Add/Remove Programs, like all the other legitimate programs on your PC. There is no Start menu item for it. And when you double click on the icon by the clock, there is no option to remove it. In other words it acts just like Malware, and that my friend is what it is.

These instructions listed here for removing it are the best I have seen so far on the Internet.